Posts Tagged ‘Finland’

Well, if you’re new to this blog, I’ll give you a short intro. Within one and a half years of moving to my new country, Finland, I opened the first self-serve frozen yogurt bar in Helsinki called Yobot. I’ve been open for six months now, just long enough to take a step back and take a deep breath and reflect on what’s happened.

I thought it would be good to share my experience. The idea of this blog will change from exploring my new home country to the life of an entrepreneur in Finland.

The Helsinki dance school, Baila Baila, had a pikkujoluosalsat party, a little Christmas party this past Friday. My two sisters Kim and Jackie, and my friend Dave have been having a Hipstamatic photo challenge once a week so I was lucky and grabbed a shot at the party for this weeks challenge, “photo representing something from a Christmas song.” The guys in the photos are three Cubans who live in Helsinki. They were dancing together getting all the (mainly ladies!) people on the dance floor and dancing with them. I thought of the song We Three Kings.

Like this:

08.10.11 – Life has been crazy lately! My last couple of weeks have left me feeling “in the weeds.” I’ve been running around trying to deal with building inspectors, the health department and realtors trying to find a suitable space for the cafe. Emma also started football (soccer) practice with a group that practices on the outskirts of Helsinki, so I’ve been trying to show her how to get out to practice by riding with her on the buses. No big deal but the round trip by bus is an hour and a half 😦

While Emma was practicing with her team I had some time to kill so I wandered around the field and found some colorful bushes to take some shots of. Not the best post but I hope you enjoy the shots.

Like this:

29.08.11 – My world is picking up momentum once again. It’s a bit more than a month since summer solstice has passed and the Earth’s movement away from the sun, here in the North on the top of the world, is made obvious by the dramatic sunsets. Although I’m not looking forward to the Winter months ahead, I can still enjoy the evenings on my balcony as the sunsets grow longer and approach 5 minutes earlier each day.

23.08.11 – Chaos and order, I loves it! I get both when I’m walking out on the platforms of Helsinki Central Railway Station. The main building of the station is constructed of Finnish granite but the platforms behind the station are covered by a glass roof supported by a complex pattern of steel bars and flourescent lights. I find myself looking up to the glass roof as I make my way to my track, finding a vanishing point and admiring how the various patterns morph.

Like this:

18.08.11 – I was looking over some pictures from this summer and there are some I didn’t have time to post because I was having so much fun. This was a great summer. Lots of karaoke, salsa dancing and visits from friends and family. These shots were from a mini-road trip I took a month back. I headed to Tampere, Finland for a salsa event and had to drive to Jaana’s parents summerhouse the next day in Padasjoki, Finland. I’ve barely used my car since I moved here but this was the perfect opportunity for me to make the most of my Honda Element. I danced (well, maybe more watched) till 4AM and then headed out of Tampere where I found a beautiful little campground, about 20 km out of the city, pulled over, laid the seats back and spread out my comforters. After 4 hours of sleep, I headed to Padasjoki to play in the annual farmers vs. summerhouse people’s pesäpallo, Finnish baseball, game. What a great weekend!

Like this:

15.08.11 – Finns love to dance and they are great at making the most of the long summer evenings. The chemistry of these two traits was in full effect last Sunday night when Salsa Borealis, a friendly group of Helsinki salsa addicts, danced the night away at the Jailbird terrace at the Hotel Katajanokka. Salsa Borealis hosts the event every Sunday evening during the summer but this was the first time at the Jailbird. Usually they are held at the small amphitheater behind Ooppera, the Finnish National Opera building. Next Sundays, 21.08, dance will also be at the Jailbird.

The events are so much fun to attend, even if you don’t know how to dance salsa. If you’re brave, there are a number of experienced dancers who would be happy to teach you the basics. If you would rather be more conservative ;), it’s always fun to sit and watch others dance the night away. I’ve been going throughout the summer and I’m slowly moving from the conservative side to the braver side. I hit the dance floor a couple of times last night, you have to start somewhere, and I was lucky to dance with some very patient and supportive girls. I had a blast.